John Kerr, the Greenock Guv'nor, was considered by as good an authority as Jack Hobbs as one of the best opening batsmen in the country, some even going so far as to say he was international class. He was already and established international when in 1921 in two matches he scored 222 runs against Warwick Armstrong's all-conquering Australians. In the first game he made 15 and 60 not out, and he batted all of one day in the next at Raeburn Place for 147, Wisden stating that "until he reached three figures he played a rigidly defensive game". In 1924 he scored an unbeaten 80 against the South Africans, but none of the matches were first-class. His few such appearances were for Scotland, with the pick of his four hundreds coming at Dublin in 1923 when he stroked 178 not out. Between 1901 and 1940, Kerr made over 40,000 runs in club cricket for Greenock. He was also a brilliant slip fielder and skilful offspinner. He was an elder in Greenock Presbytery for 27 years and served on several committees of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. He also had a long association with the Boys' Brigade and was captain of the 7th Greenock Company for nearly 40 years.
Martin Williamson